Tainted Kiss
by Eiffey
Summary: Tsunade decides to teach Sakura a new technique, but as she confronts Sasuke will it work the way it's intended? Chapter 2 7/6/12 COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own or profit from Naruto.

* * *

_Tainted Kiss_

The hospital was a madhouse. Of course, upon reflection, it usually was. Nurses scampered from room to room, preparing medicines. Patients rushed to their therapy classes while family members crowded into rooms to visit their infirmed relatives. Doctors waded through the chaos with good humor, by now accustomed to it.

Haruno Sakura, on the other hand, thought she would never be so lucky.

As she was spat out of the room by the family, clutching her patient roster to her chest, she had to agree she would forever be quite luckless. At least her shift was over; twelve grueling hours of blood, pain, and death could really bring a girl down. But now it was over, and Sakura had two days all to herself to enjoy. Her days off were few and far between, and she was going to make the best out of the gift of two in a row. The Konoha kunoichi smiled to herself as she slid her clipboard into her name slot and said her goodbyes to the staff.

The sun greeted her warmly as she stepped outside the hospital doors, its sleepy rays of light dazzling her eyes after being cooped up in the building behind all day. It was nearing sunset, the activity in the streets slowly dying down to nighttime revelers. Her mind was so preoccupied with planning out the rest of her night, namely the hot bath followed closely by her bed, she didn't notice Naruto until he was practically on top of her.

"Sakura-channn!" His prolonged whine finally caught her attention.

"Oh, Naruto! I'm sorry, it's been a hell of a day," her lazy smile brought out her blond teammate's as well, though Naruto's own was much more vibrant. A lot like the sun.. Her mind wandered once more. Naruto went on to gushingly describe his training that day, and what he had eaten for dinner. She was simply nodding and smiling, at which Naruto huffed and finally informed his friend that "baa-chan" was asking after her. Sakura groaned and resigned herself to forget about her relaxing night. Naruto cackled obliviously, continuing to chat to a mute Sakura as they walked towards the towering building where Tsunade resided.

* * *

"A new technique?" Sakura watched her sensei curiously.

Tsunade nodded philosophically, while Shizune attempted to keep her face composed in the background. She had listened to Tsunade explain said "new technique" to her, all the while attempting to convince the hokage what a very bad idea it was. But, of course, Tsunade had waved off her complaints and got down to other business. She had been concerned about Sakura since she had been brought back from the recent encounter with Sasuke. Namely, that he had attempted to kill her; twice. Sakura had done her best to remain cheerful, for the sake of Naruto, but Tsunade had seen the way her eyes clouded over when her pupil came for lessons.

"Yes, a new technique," Tsunade rounded her desk. "One you should have no trouble learning. It's a technique that can convey many things, but the way I'm going to teach you to use is with killing intent." The Sannin folded her arms as Sakura leaned her body forward with interest. "It's quite a formidable technique when a shinobi is in a dangerous, close range position. You don't use it with hand signs or chakra. It's.."

Shizune looked uncomfortable, while Tsunade's face split into a wide grin.

".. a kiss."

* * *

The trees were beautiful this time of year. They were blooming, bringing forth new life. Blood reds, lustrous purples, vibrant greens, and delicate pinks. One flash of color belonged, not to a flower or leaf, but to a young man; he had no interest in the forest around him. He had his dark eyes fixed on the sprawling urban village known as Konohagakure. If the trees could speak, they would say this young man visited often. He would lean against one of them and simply stare at the bustling place that lay below him. Never noticed, always silent. Then, just as the rising crest of the sun lit behind the mountains, he would vanish without a whisper of sound.

So it was, the moment the sun became its sleepy dark gold, its rays dying, Uchiha Sasuke turned his eyes of hate upon his former village.

* * *

Another long, horrific shift had seen Sakura out of the hospital's doors. Her muscles bunched painfully underneath her skin, a sure sign of chakra depletion. Oddly enough, she had no desire to wander back to the loneliness of her apartment. Normally just the thought of her bed could lure her home after a rough day, but tonight was different. As she watched the sun sink lower behind the trees, she thought it'd be wonderful to wander into those trees. Nighttime heralded a whole new dynamic to the forest life. A dynamic that she welcomed; the peacefulness would calm her mind.

The border guards paid the flash of pink no mind as it disappeared into the darkness of the trees.

A good five minutes saw Sakura deep enough into the woods that Konoha's noise was a distant murmur. She stretched like a cat, attempting to work the soreness out of her back when something tugged at her attention. The forest was wreathed in absolute silence. Not a peep of noise was coming from any direction. Sakura grew wary, sliding her hand in the direction of her shuriken pouch. Her awareness of her surroundings kicked in, though she felt nothing out of the ordinary. The moment her fingers closed around a kunai, a huge chakra slammed against her senses, sending her reeling.

"Why, Sakura," the way her name sounded as it rolled off his tounge, cold and lilting, chilled her to the bone. She watched with open apprehension as he morphed out of the darkness on to the branch she occupied. "I'm surprised to find you all alone out here."

He, the bastard, seemed amused as she raised her kunai defensively. Her heart still felt all the stinging emotions of their last meeting keenly. Sakura was acutely aware she had very little chakra remaining, her best option was to simply bolt. She had no time to sort out all of the feelings that assaulted her brain just by laying eyes on him again. She wasn't going to bother with words, either. She needed to run very quickly if she had any hope of surviving this encounter. The border guards would never be able to hear her screams if Sasuke got his hands on her. It seemed the moment that idea came into her skull, he knew. His amusement vanished instantly. He took a step forward. She sprang into action.

Sakura was quite fast, as most of Konohagakure's shinobi would say. Unfortunately, her former teammate was much faster. The last thing she felt before her back impacted with a tree trunk was a hard shove. When the pain finally registered, her eyes were already locked with his own. The Uchiha she no longer knew regarded her with alien eyes, a slight frown marring his handsome features. His silence disturbed Sakura, and she finally squirmed under the grip of his hands on her forearms.

"If you're just going to stare at me all night, let me go, Sasuke," his brow arched at the absence of the -kun, and he leaned closer, almost bumping her nose with his own.

"What's this? So I've finally gotten through that thick skull of yours, have I?"

Sakura inwardly flinched at his words, her head shifting dejectedly to the side. "I don't love you anymore, Sasuke. I'm not sure why you're hanging around Konoha like this, but I know it isn't anything good. I've given up on you.. I know you have nothing but cruelty left inside of you," he watched her eyes squeeze shut as something stirred in his chest at her words. Something unnamed. Something that irritated him. Her eyes remained closed, her heart battling with her head as she continued, very faintly, "So let go of me and fuck off."

That did surprise him, very much so. And it turned his aggravation into anger. Sakura felt it in the tightening of his hands, the further hardening of his features. She felt his killing intent as he reached for his katana. It struck her all at once that he was really going to kill her. Sasuke wasn't going to release her, he was going to spill her blood over the wood and leave her body to rot without a second thought. Her struggling barely shifted his frame, even though he subdued her one handed. Quite suddenly, Tsunade's lesson from months ago flashed into her memory.

"_A kiss.. ?" Sakura regarded her sensei skeptically._

"_Yes, a deadly tool indeed. Pour your hate and intent into this technique, and it can be used to kill."_

Sakura didn't pause to think about the repercussions; what with wanting to survive, she barely had room to even feel embarassed. Her hands lashed out, her slim fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. Before he could react, she slammed her lips against his own.

Sakura desperately reached into herself, bringing up all of the pain and fear his desertion had wrought upon her. The stab of betrayal.. The grief as her heart had splintered. She vaguely felt Sasuke's growl, the tension in his body. A thousand different emotions ran through Sakura, each one conflicting with the other. A very brief image of rumpled sheets and tangled limbs changed the cadence entirely.

Sasuke tore away from her like he'd been stabbed, his breaths coming out in jags. His Sharingan had activated, its blaze so bright the red reflected off of Sakura's forehead protector. He had no earthly idea what had gotten into the girl breathing heavily in front of him, but the images her kiss had called forth lodged into his brain and refused to relent. Such a short time ago, he had wanted to kill her, to see her blood. Now, however, all he could picture was her body sprawled beneath his own, her head tilted back and her eyes hazy. Her sea foam green eyes.

"What the hell have you done?" Even as he said the words, as both of his hands gripped her arms, as his body pushed flush against her own, he saw the confusion register in her gaze.

Sakura couldn't answer that question honestly, because she had no knowledge of the details, either. Her thoughts were scrambling against one another, caught between reluctance and desire. The latter had hit her so suddenly, her body quite uncaring about what Sakura wanted from it. The way Sasuke's weight settled in all the right places sent heat straight to her belly. She had no time to think about the fact she was being pressed against a tree by an S-class criminal, nor how this had happened before Sasuke was kissing her again.

Her wordless noise of protest died in the frenzy of his lips. Sakura could feel his confusion, ringed with desperation. It made her chest clench painfully for him, unable to fathom the type of misery he carried around with him. He jerked away from her once more, his heartbeat erratic against her own. She was gazing at him with those eyes; eyes unlike he had ever seen on anyone but her. They shimmered, like she was trying to hold back tears. Tears for him. Her hands were moving, disengaging from his shirt to slide comfortingly upward. His face buried itself in her neck, his teeth clenching painfully.

"Why do you keep caring about me?" Sasuke wasn't sure what else he could do to try and break her from him. He had tried, against the stirring of his long dead heart, to kill her. Four times now, if one counted tonight. She suffered needlessly for him, and he could never understand why. It remained silent for what felt like an eternity, her fingers caressing the nape of his neck. Finally, she spoke, and he had to strain to hear her quiet murmuring.

"Because you deserve someone who does."

"So do you!" He looked at her then, red meeting green. "I won't come back to Konoha. I cannot. There is nothing but pain and sadness awaiting me here. So let it go," he was perturbed by the soft smile on her lips, returning his face to her neck just so he wouldn't have to see it. He couldn't say why he came here some nights, watching Konohagakure from the fringes of the woods. Feelings would assault him, running the spectrum from grief to hate, friendship to betrayal. He kept seeing the girl he held tight, smiling at him from below with those sparkling eyes. He wondered briefly, as he dragged his nose up her neckline into the warmth of her hair, if his mind had finally snapped with a single kiss.

She sighed heavily beneath him, tilting her head to the side, always offering more than he could ever give her. He breathed in through his nose, trying to find the will to push back from her and leave. All he got for his efforts was a nose full of her cherry scent. The lazy dance of her fingers on his neck did nothing to help his resolve, either.

"Sasuke," her breathy voice fanned out across his cheek, his eyes squeezed shut, "kiss me again."

Sasuke had sinned enough, as he knew. He also knew taking Sakura would break her more so than his attempts to kill her. These thoughts settled like a weight upon his shoulders, but when he lifted his head and saw her acceptance, his resolve to spare her faded.

It began innocently enough, her hands soothing his hurts, his lips feathering across her cheek. The touch of lips fanned the sputtering flame of desire, and as the kiss deepened the questions of their situation faded.

His tongue tangled with her own, his body pressing infinitesimally closer to her own. Sakura marveled at the differences, at the way his hard muscles felt against her softer skin. Her fingers twisted in his hair, her other hand gripping his shoulder for support. By the time his lips were moving downwards, her mind was mush. The grip on her forearms tightened once in reassurance, before they too began to move. His touch bypassed her elbows, palming the smallness of her waist briefly.

_She's so different,_ he cupped the weight of her breasts, pleased with the throaty noise she offered him in reward. The way her hips suddenly rolled against him nearly undid his patience for foreplay. It seemed to be the same for Sakura, for she leaned in, smoothing her lips over the shell of his ear.

"I don't want to wait for you any longer."

Sasuke growled unintelligible words in answer, his hands flashing down to wrap around her thighs; she pressed closer to his growing erection, egging him on with sultry twists while he struggled to simply not rip her clothes from her body and bury himself between those wicked hips.

"I don't want to hurt you.."

Sakura wrapped one of her hands around his wrist, dragging his fingers up and under the hem of her shirt. They immediately fanned out across her belly, yet Sakura tugged and interlocked their fingers. She maneuvered beneath the band of her shorts, watching with hooded eyes as Sasuke's eyes widened at her audacity. He moved on his own, pushing into her further when his fingers slid through her wetness. Words were abandoned, the fire in his eyes speaking volumes for the both of them. He tested her gently at first, ghosting a finger over her clit. At her approving noise, he delved inside of her.

Sasuke thought he had everything he needed; his heart had chosen its path years ago. He had the strength he had so craved after years of torturous training and endless killing. But at this moment, when this girl he had abandoned tilted her head back and cried his name he thought himself a fool. When he had left her on that park bench with tears on her cheeks, he had forgotten himself. Now, he was remembering quite clearly.

A second finger joined the first, pushing her higher up the crest. As she came apart in his hands, quivering and crying tears for him, his chest constricted painfully. Her delicate hands framed his cheeks as he removed his fingers, latching on to the fabric that covered her from him. The way she was stroking him, caressing his cheekbones with her thumbs, increased his urgency. A great yawning abyss was threatening to pull him under, into a place he didn't want to go with Sakura in his arms. Emotions were crashing against the barriers he had erected. He tossed her shorts to the side with one hand while he worked on the sash holding his own pants.

"Please, Sasuke, please.." Her pleading changed to a breathy gasp as the tip of his erection slid against her, trailing a molten path between her labia to lodge against her core. He pressed harder, the first inch of him sliding inside of her heat. His breath became caught in his throat, mentally counting to himself to prevent the explosion of pleasure that was waiting to consume him. Sakura pulled him closer, inadvertently causing more of him to enter her body. His breath released on a groan, his hands gripping her hips to prevent movement. He had never experienced feelings so profound with any other woman he had trifled with. No other woman taxed his stamina this badly. None other made him _feel._ He needed more, needed to be embraced wholly by her comfort for just this one night.

With that motivation, he thrust hard, seating himself entirely within her. He thought instantly that it must have hurt her. He had felt the muted pop of her virginity breaking. However, she gazed at him with no pain flashing in her green eyes. The only evidence were her fingers tightening in his ebony locks. He fought to hold himself steady, yet Sakura simply smiled lovingly and proffered another one of those sinful twists of her hips. The damn inside of him broke. Slowly, inch by inch, he withdrew from her body, watching her with calculating eyes. She answered his look with a whisper of a moan. He wanted her to scream for him.

Just as the last of him exited her core, he shoved back upwards.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He smirked devilishly. Again, the slow exodus from her body. She gripped his hair to the point of pain, arching her body like a feline. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He thrust again, covering her mouth with his own as she screamed his name once more. He grabbed her hands, lacing their fingers together as he pinned them to the trunk above her head.

Sasuke worked her slowly, never once giving in to her pleas for more, harder, nor faster. His hands gripped hers, as much for her as it was to keep his focus. It was torturous, but he wanted her to experience what he could offer her. Perhaps not love, but something awfully close to it. As she climbed higher, he watched with glowing eyes, pure satisfaction weaving with lust. He felt her body begin to shake, her head tilting back against the wood behind them. She clutched his length deliciously, nearing the crest of pleasure. One final viscous thrust sent her headlong over it.

Sakura felt it through all of her body, singing across her nerves. It collided in her brain, flashed to her toes and back, before impacting where he was inside of her. Sasuke himself had no idea how he had survived. Her walls gripped him rhythmically, destroying what little scraps of control he still possessed. His hands released hers, reaching down to her thighs. The moment he hitched her up, her long legs snaked around his waist. She tightened minutely inside, causing his breath to hitch. This girl would kill him.

Sakura arched once more against him, breaking the fragile control remaining. She gasped, unable to even get a noise from her throat as he gave her the hard and fast she had craved earlier. She held him with her arms and legs as he abandoned himself, giving her a wordless form of his apology. Words did finally escape from the lump in her throat. He buried his face in her neck as she hugged him tight, whispering things in his ear he thought he'd never hear from her again.

"I need you."

"Come back home to me."

"I love you so much."

One final hard thrust sealed his fate. She cried out, the glorious noise triggering his own release. He pushed as far inside of her as he could, unconsciously hoping it would help her conceive. He continued to raggedly move inside of her, enjoying the last residual clutches her body offered him. Sakura's hands stroked through his hair, her bright green eyes meeting his own dark pair.

"I'll always love you, no matter what," she said sleepily.

"I know," he responded quietly as the blaze of his Sharingan reactivated.

"Please, stay here.."

Indecision fleetingly crossed his features as the tomoes in his eyes began to spin. The conflict remained in his heart as he dragged the girl who loved him deeper than he could understand into sleep.

* * *

The glare of the rising sunlight behind her lids brought her out of her sleep. The memories of the previous night came back to her abruptly.

"Sasuke!" Her body jerked upright, her eyes adjusting to the light. He had gone. The grief threatened to come back twofold, her hands clenching against her thighs. She paused, stricken, as she realized her hands were gripping cold metal. There was a forehead protector in her hands, a thin scratch slashing through the middle of the Konohagakure symbol. It was his.. Sasuke's.

Tears welled in her eyes as she lifted it. A piece of crinkled parchment paper fell into her lap. It was a note, written in red ink.

"_Keep this safe with you for now."_

The Uchiha clan symbol was signed at the bottom of the words.

Sakura gathered herself and stood, the pieces of her shattered heart realigning with new hope. She pressed the two gifts dearly to her chest as she headed towards home.


	2. Chapter 2

You asked, so here's another chapter to round out this story.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm a little on the fence about the way this turned out, but I really wanted a happy ending for these two. I hope they get one in the manga; I can only hope.

Standard disclaimers apply~

* * *

"_Konoha is so beautiful this time of year."_

The thought was probably shared by everyone in the village. Summer had come and was almost gone, turning the trees from verdant green to gold. The air had just the slightest edge of frost when it blew, both refreshing and welcomed by the citizenry of Konoha.

Especially when certain persons included in that citizenry took to their favorite training ground.

Metal screeches of kunai and shuriken striking one another outpaced the birds' singing, becoming the music in the air. Two people, one a kunoichi with hair the color of spring, and the boy's the color of the ink he used for his pictures, sat watching their two teammates, Naruto and Kakashi, spar. The boy seemed distracted, flicking his dark eyes from the battle to his companion. He shifted his sketchbook on his knees and finally turned to look at her fully.

Haruno Sakura had her eyes on the fight, but Sai could clearly tell she wasn't paying it the least bit of attention. It had been that way, he thought, for close to three months. She would drift in and out of their world, caught somewhere between her thoughts and reality. Between her troubled eyes, and the way she would wring her hands without noticing, Sai knew something was wrong.

"_Perhaps not _wrong_, but something is bothering her," _Sai waited patiently for the girl by his side to notice she was being stared at, yet there was no response. Even when Sai offered her the nickname she detested.

"Excuse me, Ugly."

Nothing. A rare perplexed look crossed Sai's features.

"Sakura," he placed his hand on her shoulder, at which she startled and finally looked at him. The flush that came to her cheeks was quite fetching and she stuttered out a quiet apology.

"I'm sorry, Sai.. I was just thinking about something."

"You seem to get lost in those thoughts a great deal these days," Sai watched her green eyes waver, like she was suddenly fighting the urge to cry. He searched his mind for something comforting to say, "I'm.. here for you if you need to talk about them. I'm familiar with deep thinking. Perhaps I could help you if you have a problem?"

Sakura couldn't help but smile, appreciating greatly the effort Sai was putting into trying to help. He really had come a long way from that first mission; he had gone from thinly veiled insults and remoteness, to the person sitting beside her today. Unfortunately, the reminder of the purpose of that first mission drug her mind back to the person that had plagued her for these months.

Sasuke..

Sometimes Sakura truly believed her traitorous heart, working closely with her equally traitorous head, had played a cruel trick upon her. Maybe she had been fed an elaborate dream.. Sakura would have outright believed it if her proof was not lying on her dresser next to the old Team 7 picture. His forehead protector remained hard and very real in her apartment, the metal cold when she touched it with her fingertips. She always felt that cold ghost over her skin, reminding her very keenly of what had happened in those woods.

Between the very real fear of pregnancy, and the crushing desire to have him home, she had become distant from her friends. When the first fear had proved unfounded, the second increased in force. As she had held the little stick, watching it slowly change colors, she could describe every emotion that had crashed around her heart. Yet, as it gave her a negative result, she couldn't begin to explain the feeling. What she had expected was sheer relief; what she had gotten was an inexplicable rush of terrible disappointment mixed in with God knows whatever else. She had remained in her room, sitting on her bed with her legs crossed simply staring for two hours, trying to figure out how to feel. Naruto had banged on her door for close to five minutes before she realized he was even there.

Sai didn't seem bothered by the prolonged silence. He could clearly read Sakura's face. She looked like she was about to cry again, those emerald eyes glazed and lost.

"I saw Sasuke," she suddenly blurted.

Sai thought at first he hadn't heard right, but when Sakura lowered her eyes from his, he knew he had. He waited for her to continue.

"Outside the walls. Three months ago.. I had gone out after a shift and.. He was there. He overpowered me easily," her arms tightened around her knees as her words faded. Sai still said nothing, and her voice grew strong again, "I'm sure he would have killed me but.. I stopped him. I.. used a technique Tsunade-sama taught me. He actually stopped because of it. And.. and," her voice quivered uncontrollably.

Sakura could not go any farther. Sai knew now the reason for her distance, but not the exact cause of it. She could not express her gratitude towards him as he simply smiled in his odd way.

"Naruto taught me that people can change, Sakura. And though Sasuke-kun is not the same as he was, that does not mean he cannot regain himself. You and he shared a bond. Just as Naruto occupies some small place in his heart, so do you. Perhaps he remembered that place after he opened his eyes and saw you there," Sai patted her somewhat awkwardly on the arm, "and perhaps it grew a bit bigger."

Sakura smiled warmly, her thoughts calming enough to where she could watch as Naruto aimed a Rasengan at their former sensei.

"Thank you, Sai."

* * *

"Oi, Sakura-chan! That was so cool how far Kakashi-sensei flew after you punched him! Too bad it was a clone!"

The sun had long set, the darkness settling over Konoha like a comforting blanket. The four friends walked along together, two of them smiling hugely at Kakashi as he rubbed the back of his head and laughed. They were sweaty, bloody, and exhausted, yet their camaraderie persisted naturally. They split off towards their respective homes, waving and calling their good byes. Sai took a moment to smile at Sakura as he left, leaving Naruto ambling along beside her.

As her apartment loomed ahead of them, she almost told Naruto, as well. But looking at him, his happiness surrounding her, Sakura thought better of it. She'd tell him another time..

He wrapped her in a bear hug in front of her door, giving his best friend a squeeze and a hollered good bye as she opened her door and stepped into her home.

The wind was howling through the golden trees, clouds building in the sky, obscuring the twinkling stars. That was the only way he knew, as he flew through the leaves on nothing but his senses. His hair whipped around his face, stinging his cheeks.. nothing compared to the pain crushing through his skull. The way his eyes throbbed, blood leaking down the bridge of his nose, sent the hurt knifing through his limbs, slowing his progress as he tried to keep going. He _had_ to make it there. He opened his eyes just enough to see Konoha's mighty gates standing ahead of him.

By the time Sakura finally shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, a good twenty minutes had gone by. Truthfully, she would have stood under the spray, caught in her trance, a good deal longer if the water hadn't turned frigid. Goose bumps still peppered her arms as she dried off, methodically dressing herself in her sleep wear. Normally the dark blue spaghetti strapped top and white shorts would rush her along enthusiastically with the promise of bed. However, her sluggish movements didn't pick up any speed. It took a good deal longer than normal to towel dry her hair, comb it out, and brush her teeth.

If she was alert she would have noticed the sudden gust of wind and rattle of her window pane immediately. It hit her a good twenty seconds later that she had closed her window when she had come home. Her fingers found the cold metal of her kunai, kept in a bathroom drawer for emergency purposes.

Sakura's ninja training clicked easily into place inside of her, drawing her body slowly towards the door into her bedroom. The door was cracked, letting in a sliver of moonlight. When she saw nothing from what little view the opening offered, Sakura toed the door open and slipped into the room all at once. The sight that greeted her loosened her grip on her weapon, sending it dropping to the carpet with a muffled clank.

There was Sasuke, slumped against the side of her window. Blood, both dry and caked and wet and flowing, covered both his face and his torso. He said nothing, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping. Though as Sakura looked closer, she could see the faintest hint of his body shaking. He was in pain.

Sakura didn't remember moving; one moment she was rooted in front of her bathroom, the next she was standing before the missing-nin. The amount of blood on Sasuke's clothes and skin frightened her. Why wasn't he opening his eyes?

"Sasuke!"

His frame tensed then released, and a sound between a sigh and a groan filled the silence of Sakura's apartment.

"Sasuke, what the hell happened to you?"

He finally cracked his eyes open slightly, and the kunoichi let out a startled gasp. They were the source of all the blood. It spilled out of them unabated, running down his cheeks. He coughed wetly, squeezing his eyelids together to prevent more blood from escaping. Sakura didn't pause to think, her hands lifted, chakra fathering in her palms. Sasuke slumped forward slightly, seeming to know what she was about to do. The pain in his head had become excruciating, his body instinctively moving towards what it knew would ease that pain.

Her hands cupped his face briefly, then moved to cover his eyes. She murmured an apology as he froze, knowing even the slightest pressure caused him unbearable pain. Sakura had never seen him like this. The closest had been after Orochimaru had given him the curse seal. He had collapsed then, but now his pride and strength wouldn't allow him to fall into unconsciousness. How he had even made it to her home amazed her.

The chakra coated her hands in muted green, reflecting off of the window glass. She could feel the trembles wracking his body as she stepped closer. Sakura immediately began funneling her healing power into him, easing the blades of pain slowly out. Minutely, Sasuke's shoulders lost their tension, his breathing became less labored, and his fists unclenched. Sakura knew there was still pain, yet she had taken away a good deal of it. She then turned her attention to why his eyes had been damaged; she let out a sharp intake of breath at what she found.

Something had severed the area directly behind his retinas. Veins were ruptured, pumping blood directly into the surrounding tissue.

"Oh, Sasuke. This is serious," she was well aware Kabuto was a skilled medic. He could have healed this just as well, or perhaps even better, than she could. He had risked further injury by traveling here. Why had he not allowed the other man to heal him?

Sasuke seemed to know what she was thinking, for he answered her thoughts, his voice weak and raspy, yet somehow still strong, "I do not trust him."

Her heart fluttered with unfounded happiness. Sakura nervously tried to inform it that of course Sasuke wouldn't trust the dirty rat. Hell, nobody on the face of the planet did, either. Her heart was having none of that, though. Her body really _was_ traitorous!

Sasuke noticed through the haze of pain as Sakura's body drew imperceptibly closer. He could think more clearly now, with the awful pain in his head gone. Her skin was still slightly damp, and the smell of her shampoo, tropical and light, lulled his exhausted body towards sleep. She was the only one he could trust with his eyes. His Sharingan. He knew she would not try and dismantle it. She would not damage him further. She would heal him. And, somewhere deep in the back of his mind, he had ached to see her again. To see if her love still stood strong, even as he had left her again. He remembered the desperation he had felt last he had saw her; those last few moments inside of her body had unnerved him. The thought of her pregnant and alone haunted the empty corridors of his own heart. He should not have given in to his need.

Sakura felt the moment his consciousness slipped, his head slumping further into her open hands. She smiled to herself, supporting his frame as her concentration turned fully to the job of repairing his eyes.

Sasuke woke all at once, just like he always did. He noticed two things; one, he could open his eyes, and two, he was in a bed. Three things.. his shirt was missing.

The bed creaked quietly as he sat up, the blurriness in his vision rapidly clearing. The wind from the open window to his left cooled the room. It was raining now. The dull flash of pink caught his eye, and he turned slowly to regard the girl reclining in the window.

Sakura had dozed off shortly after the healing had completed. The enormous concentration required around something as delicate as his eyes had worn her out quickly. She had taken off his bloody shirt and moved him into her bed, careful not to wake him. With a few careless swipes with a towel at the blood on the window sill, she had climbed on to it. The rumble of distant thunder promised rain, yet sleep claimed her without care. Now Sasuke watched her, something a lot like consternation coloring his expression.

Why had he come here? That seemed an easy enough question to answer. Kabuto was simply not to be trusted. The real question was, "why did he come to her?". Albeit, she was the only medic-nin he knew. He probably could have stumbled into any hospital and gotten the same results. If he was being truthful with himself, he knew exactly why he had appeared in her window tonight.

The wind shifted, sending a small shower of rain into the room. It broke Sakura's light sleep, and for the first time in a long while, Sasuke wished the floor would open up and swallow him.

Backlit by the sparkling raindrops, she truly did something to the way his body operated. It was like the universe was laughing as she turned her head slightly to the side to look over at him. The way she smiled lazily, those green eyes shining, nearly stole his breath. They remained like that for a few moments; her waiting patiently for something to be said, and him being unsure of what _to_ , he broke eye contact and stared down at the sheet pooled in his lap.

"Thank you," the way the smile died on her face made him frown.

"It was no trouble," when she had nearly fallen all over herself to even see him covered in blood.

Finally, she moved from the edge of the window.

"What happened, Sasuke?" The way his features twisted in anger would frighten any other person. Yet for some reason, this mere girl stood firm against it. It was baffling. This grieved Sasuke further, and without a response he moved from her bed. If he left now, he could make it back to his team before they grew suspicious. He had simply told them to wait until he returned. Needless to say, they were frightened of him.

His shirt was hung haphazardly over the nearest bedpost. She had left him with his pants and belt, and his katana was propped up on the wall. He moved to take it when he felt the warmth of her fingers on his knuckles. They froze; Sasuke contemplating dragging her down into sleep again, Sakura unsure of herself.

"You shouldn't go just yet.."

Sasuke thought she meant because of the rain, but she shook her head.

"I fixed the important parts of your eyes, but I'm not sure what that kind of damage did to your Sharingan," she watched true emotion cross his face. She waited while he tried, waited and watched first his anger, and then his torment. The way his body was shaking now had nothing to do with pain. His eyes flickered briefly to crimson, then back again.

"Give it until the morning, okay? If it still won't activate, then I'll ask Tsunade-sama to come," she swallowed, the sight of the raw misery on his face nearly brought tears to her eyes. He nodded mutely, yet still gathered up his things like he was preparing to go.

"I need to think," his voice was utterly devoid of emotion, "If I lose the Sharingan, I lose myself."

"Those eyes aren't what makes you who you are," she didn't love him for his Sharingan. Naruto didn't, either. It pained her that the man before her, so lost in ambition and hatred, could not see that. "Stay tonight. If it works tomorrow morning, you can go freely."

A person looking in might wonder at the two of them. They had experienced the ultimate intimacy with one another, yet neither of them made any effort to bring it up. Perhaps Sakura had given up. Sasuke thought this might be the case. He had expected the stammering, blushing girl of his past to surface. When she had met his eyes with no hesitancy, it had made him wonder. Sakura herself had not forgotten, as simply being in the same room with him caused heat to pool in places it had no business going. What use was it, anyway? She had no desire to be second best to something like vengeance.

"Have you forgotten?"

His quiet words, spoken with just the slightest hint of stung pride, almost brought a snort out of Sakura. Oh, no, she had not forgotten. When she had peeled his shirt off, she had remembered quite clearly how his skin felt slick and sweaty. She had remembered the way he could fill her to overflowing and send her flying apart in his arms.

Sasuke was content with her lack of response. Even with the way her eyes hooded, he was satisfied. In fact, he was positive if she had not kissed him with her heart bared to him, he would never have looked at her twice that day. Beauty or not, he was not prepared. He couldn't come back here without his goals met, not even for a girl that moved like wildfire in his hands, consuming everything before her. He was powerless against that kind of power.

Uchiha Sasuke hated feeling powerless.

He watched as Sakura slinked, he couldn't call it anything but, towards him. Her eyes burned with a fire he couldn't quite name. Passion mixed in with a slurry of anger and hurt and regret. If she were Karin, she'd already be dead. But this girl was _nothing_ like Karin. She stood before him, and even through the steel in her words, he could feel her need for him. It had always been like that; innocent and chaste during their years together, loving and wanton now.

"Sakura," he warned, his voice harder than granite, "I cannot reciprocate. You know this."

"Why not?"

"As Itachi lives on, so shall my duty as an avenger," he had spoken this so many times in his head, it came out as soon as her question passed her lips. Sakura's mouth thinned, anger replacing the fuel of the fire.

"Do you think that is what they would want? Your parents?" She waved her hand to stop his hate that was about to form into words. "What do you have, Sasuke? What do you have to call your own in this world? Do you not mind that the number of people that care for you with everything they have can be counted on one hand?"

He offered her no response, and she shook her head sadly.

"Revenge is not the only thing in this world for you. You don't have to be alone to have power. I know somewhere inside of you, you respect Naruto and what he has become. Being loved does not make him weak. Sasuke, why do you think letting people into your heart would do that to you?"

"Because that is all I know. The things you are offering me, they.. They have little meaning," he watched her face fall. A part of himself cursed his words. "When I see it happen in my mind, over and over again, everything else pales to what I want most."

Sakura let the tears slide down her cheeks, uncaring. She knew somewhere in the person that was Sasuke, he wanted to be back with a family. Her hands reached for his own, and surprisingly, he allowed her fingers to twine with his.

"I told you when you left all those years ago, I could offer you happiness. I wasn't sure what I meant myself, then, but I know now what I can give you that no one else can," as she moved his hands towards her, he thought she would place them over her heart, yet she didn't. His eyes widened, blinking stupidly down at her as she pressed his hands flush against her lower belly. He didn't move, feeling the heat from her body seeping into his skin.

"I can give you a family," she said quietly.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably, bringing back memories of the months after he had taken her. The unending guilt, the hidden hope, the passionate desire to see this woman holding his child in her arms. The fantasy of a little boy that mirrored his young self; black hair, dark green eyes. And then, like a curse, the images of his parents lying in their own blood would crack through the little boy like lightning.

"I can't. I can't, Sakura, do you have any idea what it does to me? I could never be anything more than this. Not a friend, not a husband, not a father," his words faded at the tender smile blooming on her face. It chased away the darkness threatening to overtake him. The more he stared down at her, the easier it was to see himself and what could be. Could he possibly let it go?

"It's all I know," he leaned forward, resting his forehead on her shoulder. His left hand's fingers spread further across her abdomen, his right's curling around her hip. The demon looped around his heart tried to tell him he shouldn't be doing this, that he would regret it after his lust was spent. Yet, the further the other part prodded, the part of him who had been that happy little boy, the more he came to realize that what he felt wasn't lust. It was a pure need; a need to feel this girl take away the depression that had sunk so far into his bones, he could no longer discern it from himself.

Sakura felt him sigh into her skin. She wasn't sure if she could manage to make more room in her heart for the love she held for Sasuke, but hearing him bare his fears to her inched more of him into it. She turned her head and whispered into his ear, "Stay with me tonight."

The way he suddenly gripped her tight made her stomach flutter. His head rose slowly, stopping briefly to shakily inhale the scent of her shampoo just behind her ear. His throaty "Aa" of agreement set her knees to shaking. He didn't kiss her right away, remembering the way her lips had set his brain on fire that first time in the forest. He wanted to take his time, heat both her and his blood with the slow dance of his mouth and hands.

As much as he liked her in the dark blue, skimpy shirt, he needed to feel her bare skin against his own. He took the hem in his hands, peeling it slowly upwards. One thing he regretted from before was he had seen very little of her body. The way the little tank top had molded to her curves promised him that she was no longer a twelve year old slip of a girl. Sakura's hands slid teasingly up his torso as she raised her arms. He pulled the garment the rest of the way off, her breasts bouncing softly free.

She laughed softly at the way he gazed down at her body, "Do you like what you see?"

His eyes flecked red in response. Slowly, reverently, he cupped their weight in his hands. She rewarded him with a small sigh of contentment, the callouses on his palms contrasting deliciously with the tender skin. She stepped closer to his body, her heat easing his own cold. The sigh shifted into a broken gasp when he brushed his thumbs over her pebbling nipples. She arched in his hands the way he had dreamed of, gorgeous and so undeniably feminine. The movement pushed her hips up into his own, bringing out another noise of breathy pleasure from her lips.

Sasuke wasn't sure how he was going to survive.

He took the hardened peaks in between his thumb and forefingers, twisting gently at first. Her body arched gorgeously pressing her hips harder against his own, just like he had dreamed. Beautiful, and utterly feminine. She fought back, grinding delicious friction against his growing erection. She ceased when he could no longer keep his head in touch with his fingers. He growled down at her, and she smiled cattily at him in response. He finally dipped his head, giving her nipples an exceptionally hard twist as his teeth marked the creamy skin of her neck.

Sasuke wasn't bragging when he said he had exceptional self control, yet when Sakura hollered out his name like _that, _he wasn't sure how much longer he could restrain himself from kissing her. She vibrated in his hands, circling against him lazily. He no longer attended to her breasts, his hands splayed against her shoulder blades. He supported her while she gyrated, his eyes half lidded. The slow burn of her eyes moving down his body did sinful things to his manhood.

"Do you like what you see?" That smirk, unchanging even as he had grown, took over his face. Sakura wiped it clean with a hard jerk against him.

Her body lifted, her back straightening. She moved fluidly, unlike any other female he had ever laid eyes on. They tried to entice him with sultry movements, their beauty. None of them could hold a candle to the pink haired girl from Konoha. That was his last thought before her hands were fisted in his hair, and their lips came crashing together.

The sheer passion in her kiss clouded his senses. He backed her up until she hit the bed, sending them both tumbling on to her green satin sheets. There was no fight for dominance this time, it was simply a dance of lips and tongues. She poured all of her earth shattering love into it, impacting Sasuke somewhere firmly between his head and his heart. He lurched under the weight of it. This girl was dangerous.

They broke for breath, his mouth sliding down her jaw. She tipped her head back for him, exposing her vital points trustingly. His breathing caught in his throat, even as he traced feather light patterns along her jugular with his tongue. He could not understand how she could bare everything she had to him so easily. His eyes slid thoughtfully back down to her breasts, then on down her belly to the barely there white shorts she wore.

The kiss still addled his brain, yet he glanced wickedly up at her once before angling his body so he could reach her chest. As her hands tickled the hairs at the nap of his neck, he suddenly scraped his teeth over her right nipple.

Sasuke wasn't sure what had quite happened, yet the shrill noise Sakura had made nearly reached a decibel that hurt his ears. Next he knew, he was flat on his back, staring up at her. She cocked her head to the side, running her fingers over his ribs, light enough to tickle. The way her eyes burned, her body topless and astride his thighs, was stunning.

"What am I going to do with you.." Even as the words left her lips, her hands were jerking on his belt. It came undone obediently, releasing the purple garment and exposing the clasps that held his black pants together. Her nimble fingers undid them painfully slow, their eyes fixed together. When the last gave way, she shoved them away. Sasuke watched the alarm spread across her face with poorly hidden amusement. He hadn't bothered with underwear. She jerked her gaze away from his erection, met with his smirk.

"Yes?"

"I didn't think you went commando."

"Are you complaining?"

Suddenly she grasped him at the base, dragging her clenched hand rapidly up to the tip. Sasuke nearly came off the bed.

"Hmm, not really," she added her other hand, dragging sounds out of the man lying underneath her she had never heard before. Each slow stroke, her hands continuously replacing the other, caused a pearly white liquid to escape, further lubricating her efforts.

When had she learned how to do that? Sasuke wasn't sure, but it was pulling him perilously close to a cliff he didn't want to drop off of yet. His hands wrapped around her own and squeezed. She stopped, darkened emerald meeting black. He didn't need to say anything; she understood well enough. He released her hands, and she let go of his throbbing erection long enough to slide up on to her knees. Thumbs hooked into her shorts, Sakura shimmied them down, exposing her thighs and up to his heated gaze. As she lifted her legs one at a time to remove them, they vanished on to the floor to keep her shirt company.

Sasuke's relief from her hands was replaced with the bigger problem of her heated core. She pressed against him, unashamed, working magic with the slow turn of her hips. Yes, he definitely was not sure how he was going to live through this. He gripped her hips, urging her faster, yet she refused him, only giving him the languid twists of her own pace. She drug a groan out of him with her lips and teeth at his throat.

Sakura's jade eyes locked with the black scrolling of his curse mark. She wondered at it a moment, before tracing its lines with her tongue. Sasuke froze underneath her, his body completely still. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at him, uncertainly. His breath jerked out of him when she tried it again. Sakura wasn't quite sure what motivated her, yet just as she gave a particularly hard jerk of her hips, she sank her teeth into his mark.

The kunoichi was slammed into the mattress before she could even register Sasuke had moved. He held frozen above her, panting, the glorious red of his Sharingan blazing. He didn't give a shit about that, though, those swirling tomoes gliding down her body. Sakura shivered under them, as he fed her sensations of hands on her body, between her legs. He leaned down to her ear, braced on his elbows. "You should not have done that."

He thrust rapidly up against her core, jerking a wail out of the girl below him.

Taking his erection in hand, he dipped the tip between her labia. He shuddered at the waves of heat, her whole sex wet. The seal on his shoulder still throbbed, sending the sensations downwards, imploding. Her fingers dug into his biceps, marking his skin with her nails; he didn't care. She was pleading, whispering his name like a broken mantra as he caressed her intimately. When she arched for him again, he drug himself down to her entrance, unable to resist.

The slow slide past the ring of muscles nearly undid him, yet he held on. Sakura writhed below him, sucking him inevitably deeper into her body. Finally he could go no further.

He was lodged so deeply, Sakura could feel his heartbeat thrumming. Her own was caught in her throat. She could barely form the coherency to breathe his name. He gazed down at her, the red of his eyes glowing softly. Unthinking, her hand reached up, molding to his cheek. He tilted into her hand, unbothered. She guided his head down, speaking against his lips, "Please."

He set a languorous pace at first, his body rocking gently. They were content with it, her hands sliding through his hair. As the pleasure coiled in her lower belly, he seemed to sense it, pushing her harder. He could feel her tightening muscles, rippling along his length deliciously. The spiral looped tighter and tighter until it unraveled violently. He held her to him as she came apart, her hands still latched in his silky locks. Sasuke raised up on his elbows again, watching Sakura gather herself. Her face was flushed. She really was beautiful.

"Again, Sasuke-kun.. with everything."

He didn't need any further encouragement. He took her roughly, unable to contain the sheer desire wracking his body. The way she said his name, the way she felt, the way she could chase his darkest thoughts away.. He realized all at once he needed her. He needed her to wrap her arms around him and heal his pain.

This realization threw him headlong over the precipice, his body nearly buckling from the pleasure. Sakura moaned beneath him, her body taking everything he offered her. He gave a few more ragged, broken thrusts before collapsing down onto his forearms. Utterly spent, he could only pant as Sakura's soft hands brushed his sweaty bangs out of his eyes. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and he could only obey as she pulled him down flush against her body.

As he tucked his head into the hollow of her throat, he heard her brokenly whisper an, "I love you, so much." The last thing Sasuke remembered before the peace of sleep claimed him was his response of, "I know."

The blinding light of the morning sun dragged Sakura slowly out of her deep sleep. She hadn't slept that well in a very long while. Her body protested angrily to her movements, the hurt focused like a laser between her legs. She sat up abruptly, nearly falling over the side of the bed.

"Sasuke!"

The man in question tilted his head lazily towards her, a slight smirk on his face. Well pleased with himself, of course, what with her mussed hair and huge, elated smile. He was reclined in the window, the old picture of Team 7 clenched in one hand, his Konoha headband in the other.

"Oi," Sakura's smile faded slightly, expecting him to announce he was leaving once more, yet the words that came from his mouth had her rushing for her clothes and tears building in her eyes.

"Let's go see the Godaime."

* * *

Fin~

I know a lot of you said things like I left it hanging, so I went ahead and wrote out a big, sappy, happy ending.

Thanks to all of my previous reviewers! Your comments helped me get motivated to write this little chapter. Sorry it took so long, again!

'Til next time!


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